Time Spent Engaging in Health Care Among Patients With Left Ventricular Assist Devices

Area of Science:

• Cardiology
• Medical Devices
• Patient Care

Background:

• Left ventricular assist device (LVAD) implantation improves survival and function in advanced heart failure.
• LVAD therapy necessitates substantial patient engagement in healthcare activities.
• Quantifying this time burden is crucial for optimizing patient management.

Purpose of the Study:

• To introduce and evaluate a novel patient-centered metric for time spent in LVAD-related clinical care outside the home.
• To assess the proportion of days and total time alive with an LVAD spent receiving healthcare.

Main Methods:

• Retrospective analysis of 373 continuous-flow LVAD recipients from 2008-2019.
• Inclusion of inpatient and LVAD-specific ambulatory healthcare encounters.
• Calculation of patient-level time metrics, including days in care and total hours spent receiving care.

Main Results:

• Patients spent a median of 23.2% of days alive with an LVAD in healthcare encounters.
• Inpatient and ambulatory care accounted for a median of 6.0% and 15.0% of total days alive, respectively.
• Patients spent a median of 5.6% of total time alive receiving care, totaling 592 hours.

Conclusions:

• Left ventricular assist device patients dedicate a significant portion of their lives to healthcare engagement.
• Findings suggest a need for improved efficiency in post-discharge care delivery for LVAD patients.
• This metric can inform patient expectations and healthcare resource allocation.